The 4 Vs of Operation Management
Philip Eshelby
Philip Eshelby
Managing Director at ACS & Founder of Smart Environments
Published Apr 22, 2016
+ Follow
Business operations can most easily be described as the focus of an organisation where the majority of direct labour occurs.
In a service based business, operations are usually task-oriented and will follow clear steps until the service is completed. Whereas in a manufacturing company, operations are even more central and will follow the product from inception through to completion and then on to a tertiary stage, which would usually be delivery.
Keys ways to learning about differences in Operations Processes
The 4 V’s Overview
All operations processes have one thing in common, they all take their ‘inputs’ like, raw materials, knowledge, capital, equipment and time and transform them into outputs (goods and services). They do this in different ways, and the main four are known as the Four V’s, Volume, Variety, Variation and Visibility.
1. The Volume Dimension
A great example of this can be seen by looking at a fast food giant, such as McDonalds.
They are a well known example of high volume low cost hamburger and fast food production. The volume of their operation is key to how their business is organised. Essential to their operation is the repeatability of the tasks, as well as the systemisation of the work. From this, standards and procedures drive the way in which each part of the job is carried out and then by combining in this way provides the organisation with a low cost base. In contrast a local café or restaurant will have a much lower volume of output, less labour, less systemisation, and each staff member completes a wider variety of tasks which results in higher unit costs.
2. The Variety Dimension
A common example used to describe the variety dimension is the contrast between a taxi and a bus service.
Both offer hired transportation services but a taxi service has a much higher variety dimension as they will basically pick you up and drop you off wherever it is you need to go. A bus can only provide a defined route and schedule. Whilst they offer a similar service, variety and flexibility is high for the taxi company and low for the bus company. It is worth noting here that a low cost model is more easily achieved with less variety.
3. The Variation Dimension
Consider two home building contractors. One offers prefabricated homes that you choose from a catalogue or online. It is transferred to site and erected over the course of a few days. The second building company offers customised homes they have display homes they have built that you can walk through. Each aspect of the home from the façade to the number of bedrooms to the floor materials to the type of heating can all be customised to the customer. The design and build phase can take anywhere between 24 weeks to 52 weeks.
Company two will have a much higher level of cost and lower volume than company one who offers standard pricing and can control costs much more easily.
4. The Visibility Dimension
This dimension refers to a customers ability to see, track their experience or order through the operations process. A high visibility dimension includes courier companies where you can track your package online or a retail store where you pick up the goods and purchase them over the counter. A low visibility dimension could be a web design company who takes your order and advises your new website will be ready in 4 – 8 weeks. The service skill of employees will greatly affect the customers’ experience.
These four aspects should be carefully dealt with in ensuring process excellence. It includes higher efficiency, faster cycle time and higher overall productivity. In essence, adding value to organisation. As the competitive nature of the business world increasingly demands, value creation is the key path to survival.
It is well recognised that the four Vs of operation, once aligned and appropriately tuned, should ensure value creation.
Understanding the four Vs of operations management – volume, variety, variation and visibility
Organisations that deliver the highest quality of service or products are the ones that attract the most customers. Prominence is, therefore, important. But ability is also important.
Written by guest
By Vidya Hattangadi
Organisations that deliver the highest quality of service or products are the ones that attract the most customers. Prominence is, therefore, important. But ability is also important; if prominence brings customers to an organisation, ability helps organisations to retain customers. Ability of the organisation tells who they are.
Eminence and ability consist of four operational processes: volume, variety, variation and visibility.
Organisations survive and flourish when operations management lies in the hands of able managers to manage core activities that transform key resources into deliverable products or services. The process of creating products and services is based fundamentally on creating value in each operations management process.
Volume: It refers to how much production of a specific product is required to satisfy its overall demand in the market. This refers to the physical number of units or items produced. A high volume manufacturing service example would be a fast-food joint like Domino’s Pizza. It sells quite literally millions of pizzas and other related food items every day around the world, and one of the known characteristics of Domino’s Pizza is that the chain has a very high degree of consistency in all of its products and service delivery.
Alternatively, a low-volume example might be an artist who produces specially made commissions and pieces of artwork. These are unique, which are likely to take a very long time to produce and which cannot be easily replicated or repeated exactly, if at all.
This is highly resource intensive and often a long-term process. Scarcity is often used to boost sales, but it can also be used to create massive brand lift. It plays on the customer’s fear of missing out. Please remember this fact that marketers use limited-time offers like daily deals, limitations on quantities, or one-time only promotions to create a sense of urgency and leverage scarcity.
Volume is a significant tool because it shows the confidence of buyers in a product or service. Although volume should never be used alone to determine price or selling patterns, it is a base to gain insights into the markets and determine the next strategies.
Variety: It relates to the variety of goods/services to be produced and sold to customers. This V is all about diversity. Selling a variety of products or services helps organisations increase sales and profit potential, and reduces their dependence on only one or two products, which can lead to business closure if demand for that product(s) ends or wanes out.
For example, HUL sells 44 brands spanning 14 distinct categories such as soaps, detergents, shampoos, skin care, toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, tea, coffee, packaged foods, ice cream, and water purifiers, and the company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across India. Its portfolio includes leading household brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Glow & Lovely, Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakmé, Dove, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, Closeup, Axe, Brooke Bond, Bru, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Wall’s and Pureit. HUL has a product to offer for each segment of the society. In a given product category, it has maintained variety.
High variety gives more flexibility to produce goods and services to match a customer’s requirements. Variety and volume correlate—the higher the variety, the lower the volume of products or services.
Variation: It refers to how much the level of demand changes over time due to external factors. However, several factors make it difficult to predict variation.
For example, a natural disaster such as the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world which made the entire world go topsy-turvy in all walks of life. Most business processes do not exist as singular entities, but rather as a plurality of variants that need to be collectively managed. Most of these approaches are built on the assumption that variation points and variation drivers are given as inputs. The question of how process variation is drawn and conceptualised in the first place has received relatively little attention. It takes a lot of experience and maturity of managers to fill the gaps. When processes fail to follow a precise pattern, it causes quality issues, both in transactional and production processes.
Visibility: It refers to value chain of a company’s all processes put together. Customers need to experience the company’s products/services. Service industries have a high level of visibility compared to manufacturing industries. For example, Amazon has track-and-trace software on its website that enables their customers to have visibility of where their packages are at any given time.
It is important that potential customers can locate the company they are looking for. Most people have had the experience of being lost. It is truly frustrating driving around unable to find the location a customer is searching—may be it is a company’s workshop, warehouse, retail store, head office, customer care centre, anything. Organisations must make sure that their signage is clear and visible so that visitors can easily locate. Otherwise, the experience can turn into a negative one. High-visibility signage has already helped easy-to-find repeat customers.
Unilever’s operations management is responsible for keeping the four Vs integral with high productivity throughout the global organisation. Operations managers develop procedures and processes to support the organisation in achieving higher volume, variety, variance and visibility. The operations team of Unilever directly supports marketing, sales, financial and HR performance. It essentially addresses concerns in all strategic decision areas to maintain high productivity.
As a leading consumer goods firm, Unilever has evolved operations management approaches to keep all four Vs highly productive.
The author is a management thinker and blogger
Get live Share Market updates and latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download Financial Express App for latest business news.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S21 comparison: which is better?
75
out of 100
VS
70
out of 100
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung Galaxy S21
We compared 2 smartphones: August 10, 2022 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 with 6.7″ screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip vs. 6.2″ Samsung Galaxy S21 which has Exynos 2100 processor and came out 19 months earlier. Below you will find characteristics, tests, strengths and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.0003
- Differences
- Review
- Specifications
- Benchmarks
- Autonomy
- Cameras
- Reviews
Key differences
Overview of the main advantages of each of the devices
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- 11% better battery life (28:41 vs 25:44 hours)
- Newer version of Bluetooth (v5.
2) - 0.5″ larger screen size
- Shows 22% better performance in AnTuTu benchmark
- Smartphone 1 year and 7 months newer
- 22% faster in GeekBench 5 single-core test – 1259 and 1032 points
2) Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
- IP68 waterproof housing
- The camera has a 1.1x optical zoom
- Comes with a 300 mAh larger battery – 4000 vs 3700 mAh
- Slim bezels – 5.1% more screen real estate
- Weighs 18 grams less
900 15 Availability of 2 slots for SIM-cards
Display
Color, clarity and brightness
Galaxy Z Flip 4
86
Galaxy S21
80
Camera
Main and front camera
Galaxy Z Flip 4
73
Galaxy S21
73
Performance
Application and system performance
Galaxy Z Flip 4
74
Galaxy S21
64
Games
3D Gaming Features
Galaxy Z Flip 4
76
Galaxy S21
59
Battery
Autonomy, speed and charging type
Galaxy Z Flip 4
64
Galaxy S21
59
Communications
Availability of modern communication interfaces
Galaxy Z Flip 4 900 03
79
Galaxy S21
89
Final score
NanoReview total score
Galaxy Z Flip 4
75
Galaxy S21
9 0002 70
You can choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately determine which smartphone is best suited specifically for your needs.
Personalize assessment
Function
Importance (Weight)
Screen:
Low Medium High Very high
Chamber:
Low Medium High Very high
Performance:
Low Medium High Very high
Games:
Low Medium High Very high
Endurance:
Low Medium High Very high
Communications:
Low Medium High Very high
The higher the importance, the more it will affect the final NanoReview score.
Price/Quality
Enter how much you can buy these smartphones for and click the “Calculate” button – our artificial intelligence will determine which one is the best for its price.
Tests and performance
Comparison table of specifications and tests
Smartphone:
Galaxy Z Flip 4
vs
Galaxy S21
Shield
Comparison of smartphone screens
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED |
| Size | 6. 7″ |
6.2 inch |
| Approval | 1080 x 2640 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 21.9:9 | 20:9 |
| Pixel density | 425 dpi | 421 dpi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive Refresh Rate | Yes | No |
| Max. declared brightness | 500 nits | 800 nits |
| Max. declared brightness in HDR | 1200 nits | – |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Display guard | – | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 82.1% | 87.2% |
| Features | – DCI-P3 – Always-On Display |
– DCI-P3 – Always-On Display |
| sRGB | 97% | 99. 5% |
| PWM | 120 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Response time | 1 ms | 5 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Endless | ∞ Endless |
True Peak Brightness (Auto)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+7%
918 nits
Galaxy S21
855 nits
Sources:
NotebookCheck
[3], [4]
Design and housing
| Height | 165.2 mm | 151.7 mm |
| Width | 71.9 mm | 71.2 mm |
| Thickness | 6.9 mm | 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 187 grams | 169 grams |
| Waterproof | IPX8 | IP68 |
| Back panel material | Glass | Plastic |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Available colors | Black, Gold, Blue, Green, Purple | White, Grey, Pink, Purple |
| Fingerprint reader | Yes, in button | Yes, in display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Galaxy Z Flip 4
82.
1%
Galaxy S21
+6%
87.2%
Productivity
Testing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Samsung Galaxy S21 in benchmarks
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| Max. frequency | 3190 MHz | 2900 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) |
| Architecture | – 4 cores @ 2GHz: Cortex-A510 – 3 cores @ 2.75GHz: Cortex-A710 – 1 core @ 3.2GHz: Cortex-X2 |
– 4 cores @ 2.2GHz: Cortex-A55 – 3 cores @ 2.81GHz: Cortex-A78 – 1 core @ 2.91GHz: Cortex-X1 |
| L3 cache | 6 MB | – |
| Transistor size | 4 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Graphics | Adreno 730 | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU frequency | 900 MHz | 854 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~2765 Gflops | ~1575 Gflops |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (single core)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+22%
1259
Galaxy S21
1032
Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+22%
3913
Galaxy S21
3209
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+22%
935452
Galaxy S21
765170
| CPU | 234223 | 203417 |
| GPU | 379312 | 272156 |
| Memory | 159101 | 144766 |
| UX | 163039 | 146598 |
| Total score | 935452 | 765170 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+52%
8662
Galaxy S21
5714
| Peak case temperature | 36. 8 °C |
38.9 °C |
| Stability | 46% | 66% |
| Graphics test | 51 FPS | 34 FPS |
| Graphics score | 8662 | 5714 |
| Web score | 11232 | 12617 |
| Video editing | 7491 | 7113 |
| Photo editing | 31672 | 29387 |
| Data manipulation | 10960 | 10450 |
| Writing score | 16828 | 16575 |
AnTuTu ranking of Android smartphones 9 (#96 and #158)
Sources:
3DMark
[3], [4]
Add your AnTuTu test result
Memory
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory frequency | 3200 MHz | 2750 MHz |
| Number of channels | 4 | 2 |
| Accumulator capacity | 128, 256, 512 GB | 128, 256 GB |
| Accumulator type | UFS 3. 1 |
UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 12 (Updated to Android 13) | Android 11 (Updated to Android 13) |
| UI sheath | One UI 5.1 | One UI 5.1 |
| System size out of the box | 24 GB | 28.1GB |
Battery
| Volume | 3700 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Max. charging power | 25 W | 25 W |
| Battery type | Lithium polymer (Li-Po) | Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) |
| Removable | No | No |
| Wireless charger | Yes (15 W) | Yes (15 W) |
| Reverse charger | Yes (wireless) | Yes (wireless) |
| Fast charger | Yes (55% in 30 minutes) | Yes (55% in 50 minutes) |
| Full charge time | 1:15 am | 1:35 am |
| Web surfing | 09:18 am | 07:27 am |
| View video | 11:31 a. m. |
12:26 pm |
| Games | 04:09 am | 04:31 am |
| Standby | 110 hours | 92 hours |
Total autonomy
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+11%
28:41 hrs
Galaxy S21
25:44 hrs
Cameras
Comparison and camera tests Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S21
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Photo resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Optical, 1.1x |
| Flash | LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | Up to 24 fps |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60 fps | Up to 60 fps |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60 fps | Up to 60 fps |
| Slow motion | 960 fps (720p) | 960 fps (720p) |
| Wide angle lens | 123° | 120° |
| Number of lenses | 2 (12 MP + 12 MP) | 3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP) |
| Main lens | – 12 MP – Aperture: f/1.  8 – Focal length: 27mm – Pixel size: 1.8 micron – Sensor: 1/1.76″, Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) – Phase detection autofocus (Dual Pixel) – Optical stabilization |
– 12 MP – Aperture: f/1.8 – Focal length: 26mm – Pixel size: 1.8 micron – Sensor: 1/1.76″, Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) – Phase detection autofocus (Dual Pixel) – Optical stabilization |
| Telephoto lens | – | – 64 MP – Aperture: f/2.0 – Focal length: 28 mm – Pixel size: 0.8 micron – Sensor: 1/1.72″, Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) – PDAF (Dual Pixel) – OIS |
| Ultra wide angle lens | – 12 MP – Aperture: f/2.2 – Pixel size: 1.12 micron – Sensor: 1/3.06″, Sony IMX258 (Exmor-RS CMOS) |
– 12 MP – Aperture: f/2.2 – Focal length: 13mm – Pixel size: 1.4 micron – Sensor: 1/2.55″, Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) – Phase detection autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Features | – Bokeh Effect – Pro Mode |
– Bokeh Effect – Pro Mode – RAW Support |
| Examples | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 sample photos by DxOMark | Samsung Galaxy S21 sample photos by DxOMark |
| Number of megapixels | 10 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
| Photo resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3872 x 2592 |
| Aperture | f/2. 4 |
f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | 1.22 micron |
| Sensor type | Exmor-RS CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.2″ | 1/3.24″ |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) @ 60 FPS |
DxOMark Camera Tests
Photo Quality
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+6%
125
Galaxy S21
118
Video quality
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+26%
113
Galaxy S21
90
Total Camera Score
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+1%
112
Galaxy S21
111
Communications
| Wi-Fi Version | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi functions | – Dual Band – Wi-Fi MiMO – Wi-Fi Direct – Wi-Fi Hotspot – Wi-Fi Display |
– Dual Band – Wi-Fi MiMO – Wi-Fi Direct – Wi-Fi Hotspot – Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5. 2 |
5 |
| Bluetooth functions | LE | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 3.2 |
| USB functions | – Charging – USB mass storage mode – OTG |
– Charging – USB mass storage mode – USB host mode – OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 2 |
| SIM type | Nano | Nano |
| SIM operating mode | – | Alternating |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 20 | 24 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
3. 5 mm audio port |
No | No |
| FM Radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speaker tests
Maximum volume
Galaxy Z Flip 4
86.3 dB
Galaxy S21
+1%
87 dB
Other
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Release date | August 2022 | January 2021 |
| Sales start date | August 2022 | February 2021 |
| Market availability | Available | Available |
| Head SAR | 1.15 W/kg | 0.46 W/kg |
| Body SAR | 1.2 W/kg | 1.51 W/kg |
| Sensors and transducers | – Proximity Sensor – Gyroscope – Accelerometer – Light Sensor – Compass – Fingerprint scanner |
– Hall sensor – Barometer – Proximity sensor – Gyroscope – Accelerometer – Light sensor – Compass – Fingerprint scanner |
| Charger box | No | – |
*Please note! Package contents, NFC and other options may sometimes differ depending on the region.
Both smartphones have their advantages and disadvantages. If display, performance, games and autonomy are more important to you, choose the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, and if communications, then the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Poll
Which smartphone will you choose?
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
13 (59.1%)
Samsung Galaxy S21
9 (40.9%)
Total votes: 22
Competitive comparisons
1.
Samsung Galaxy A13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21
2.
Samsung Galaxy A23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21
3.
Apple iPhone 14 vs Samsung Galaxy S21
4.
Google Pixel 6a vs Samsung Galaxy S21
5.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21
6.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Samsung Galaxy S21
7.
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G vs Samsung Galaxy S21
8.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
9.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
10.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Compare other smartphones (1100+)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs S21 Ultra comparison: which is better?
75
out of 100
VS
76
out of 100
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
We compared 2 smartphones: August 10, 2022 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 with 6.7″ screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip vs. 6.8″ Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra which has Exynos 2100 processor and came out 19 months earlier. Below you will find the characteristics, tests, strengths and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.0003
- Differences
- Review
- Specifications
- Benchmarks
- Autonomy
- Cameras
- Reviews
Key differences
Overview of the main advantages of each of the devices
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Shows 25% better performance in AnTuTu benchmark
- Smartphone 1 year and 7 months newer
- Weighs 40 grams less
- 14% faster in GeekBench 5 single-core test – 1259 and 1103 points
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- The camera has a 10x optical zoom
- IP68 waterproof housing
- Comes with a 1300 mAh larger battery – 5000 vs 3700 mAh
- 11% higher maximum screen brightness (1016 vs 918 nits)
- Dual SIM slots
- Slim bezels – 7. 7% more usable screen area
- 21% more pixel density (515 vs 425 PPI)
90 015 9% better autonomy (31:14 vs 28:41 hours)
7% more usable screen area Display
Color, clarity and brightness
Galaxy Z Flip 4
86
Galaxy S21 Ultra
88
Camera
Tests main and front camera
Galaxy Z Flip 4
73
Galaxy S21 Ultra
84
Performance
Application and system performance
Galaxy Z Flip 4
74
Galaxy S21 Ultra
64
Games
3D gaming experience
Galaxy Z Flip 4
76
Galaxy S21 Ultra
58
Battery
Autonomy, speed and charging type
Galaxy Z Flip 4
64
0003
Communications
Availability of modern communication interfaces
Galaxy Z Flip 4
79
Galaxy S21 Ultra
95
Final score
Overall results from Na noReview
Galaxy Z Flip 4
75
Galaxy S21 Ultra
76
You can choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately determine which smartphone is best suited specifically for your needs.
Personalize score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Shield:
Low Medium High Very high
Chamber:
Low Medium High Very high
Performance:
Low Medium High Very high
Games:
Low Medium High Very high
Endurance:
Low Medium High Very high
Communications:
Low Medium High Very high
The higher the importance, the more it will affect the final NanoReview score.
Price/Quality
Enter how much you can buy these smartphones for and click the “Calculate” button – our artificial intelligence will determine which one is the best for its price.
Tests and performance
Comparison table of specifications and tests
Smartphone:
Galaxy Z Flip 4
vs
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Shield
Comparison of smartphone screens
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED |
| Size | 6. 7″ |
6.8″ |
| Approval | 1080 x 2640 pixels | 1440 x 3200 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 21.9:9 | 20:9 |
| Pixel density | 425 dpi | 515 dpi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive Refresh Rate | Yes | Yes |
| Max. declared brightness | 500 nits | 1500 nits |
| Max. declared brightness in HDR | 1200 nits | – |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Display guard | – | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 82.1% | 89.8% |
| Features | – DCI-P3 – Always-On Display |
– DCI-P3 – Always-On Display |
| sRGB | 97% | – |
| PWM | 120 Hz | – |
| Response time | 1 ms | – |
| Contrast | ∞ Endless | – |
True Peak Brightness (Auto)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
918 nits
Galaxy S21 Ultra
+11%
1016 nits
Sources:
NotebookCheck
[3], [4]
Design and housing
| Height | 165. 2 mm |
165.1 mm |
| Width | 71.9 mm | 75.6 mm |
| Thickness | 6.9 mm | 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 187 grams | 227 grams |
| Waterproof | IPX8 | IP68 |
| Back panel material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Available colors | Black, Gold, Blue, Green, Purple | Black, Silver, Grey, Blue |
| Fingerprint reader | Yes, in button | Yes, in display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Galaxy Z Flip 4
82.1%
Galaxy S21 Ultra
+9%
89.8%
Productivity
Testing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in benchmarks
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
Max. frequency |
3190 MHz | 2840 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) |
| Architecture | – 4 cores @ 2GHz: Cortex-A510 – 3 cores @ 2.75GHz: Cortex-A710 – 1 core @ 3.2GHz: Cortex-X2 |
– 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 – 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 – 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1 |
| L3 cache | 6 MB | – |
| Transistor size | 4 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Graphics | Adreno 730 | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU frequency | 900 MHz | 854 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~2765 Gflops | ~1575 Gflops |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (single core)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+14%
1259
Galaxy S21 Ultra
1103
Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+11%
3913
Galaxy S21 Ultra
3514
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+25%
935452
Galaxy S21 Ultra
746710
| CPU | 234223 | 1 |
| GPU | 379312 | 256481 |
| Memory | 159101 | 151369 |
| UX | 163039 | 149052 |
| Total score | 935452 | 746710 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+66%
8662
Galaxy S21 Ultra
5221
| Peak case temperature | 36. 8 °C |
40.8 °C |
| Stability | 46% | 69% |
| Graphics test | 51 FPS | 31 FPS |
| Graphics score | 8662 | 5221 |
| Web score | 11232 | – |
| Video editing | 7491 | – |
| Photo editing | 31672 | – |
| Data manipulation | 10960 | – |
| Writing score | 16828 | – |
Table of Android smartphones in AnTuTu Benchmark 9 (#96 and #165)
Sources:
3DMark
[3], [4]
Add your AnTuTu test result
Memory
| RAM | 8 GB | 12, 16 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory frequency | 3200 MHz | 2750 MHz |
| Number of channels | 4 | 2 |
| Accumulator capacity | 128, 256, 512 GB | 128, 256, 512 GB |
| Accumulator type | UFS 3. 1 |
UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 12 (Updated to Android 13) | Android 11 (With update to Android 13) |
| UI sheath | One UI 5.1 | One UI 5.1 |
| System size out of the box | 24 GB | 26.4GB |
Battery
| Volume | 3700 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max. charging power | 25 W | 25 W |
| Battery type | Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) | Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) |
| Removable | No | No |
| Wireless charger | Yes (15 W) | Yes (15 W) |
| Reverse charger | Yes (wireless) | Yes (wireless) |
| Fast charger | Yes (55% in 30 minutes) | Yes (54% in 30 minutes) |
| Full charge time | 1:15 am | 1:11 am |
| Web surfing | 09:18 am | 10:13 am |
| View video | 11:31 a. m. |
03:32 pm |
| Games | 04:09 am | 05:26 am |
| Standby | 110 hours | 98 hours |
Total autonomy
Galaxy Z Flip 4
28:41 hours
Galaxy S21 Ultra
+9%
31:14 hrs
Cameras
Comparison and camera tests Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 108 megapixels |
| Photo resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 12000 x 9000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Optical, 10x |
| Flash | LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | Up to 24 fps |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60 fps | Up to 60 fps |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60 fps | Up to 60 fps |
| Slow motion | 960 fps (720p) | 960 fps (720p) |
| Wide angle lens | 123° | 120° |
| Number of lenses | 2 (12 MP + 12 MP) | 4 (108 MP + 10 MP + 10 MP + 12 MP) |
| Main lens | – 12 MP – Aperture: f/1.  8 – Focal length: 27mm – Pixel size: 1.8 micron – Sensor: 1/1.76″, Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) – Phase detection autofocus (Dual Pixel) – OIS |
– 108 MP – Aperture: f/1.8 – Focal length: 26mm – Pixel size: 0.8 micron – Sensor: 1/1.33″, Samsung S5KHM3 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) – Laser autofocus – OIS |
| Telephoto lens | – | – 10 MP – Aperture: f/4.9 – Focus distance: 240 mm – Pixel size: 1.22 micron – Sensor: 1/2.65 “, Samsung S5K3J1 (ISOCELL CMOS) – Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) – – – – Optical stabilization |
| Ultra wide angle lens | – 12 MP – Aperture: f/2.2 – Pixel size: 1.12 micron – Sensor: 1/3.06″, Sony IMX258 (Exmor-RS CMOS) |
– 12 MP – Aperture: f/2.2 – Focal length: 13mm – Pixel size: 1.4 micron – Sensor: 1/2.55″, Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) – Phase detection autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Features | – Bokeh Effect – Pro Mode |
– Bokeh Effect – Pro Mode – RAW Support |
| Examples | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 sample photos by DxOMark | Sample photos Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra by DxOMark |
| Number of megapixels | 10 megapixels | 40 megapixels |
| Photo resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 7864 x 5200 |
| Aperture | f/2. 4 |
f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | 0.7 micron |
| Sensor type | Exmor-RS CMOS | ISOCELL CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.2″ | 1/2.65″ |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS |
DxOMark Camera Tests
Photo Quality
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+3%
125
Galaxy S21 Ultra
121
Video Quality
Galaxy Z Flip 4
+13%
113
Galaxy S21 Ultra
100
Total Camera Score
Galaxy Z Flip 4
112
Galaxy S21 Ultra
+3%
115
Communications
| Wi-Fi Version | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi functions | – Dual Band – Wi-Fi MiMO – Wi-Fi Direct – Wi-Fi Hotspot – Wi-Fi Display |
– Dual Band – Wi-Fi MiMO – Wi-Fi Direct – Wi-Fi Hotspot – Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5. 2 |
5.2 |
| Bluetooth functions | LE | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 3.2 |
| USB functions | – Charging – USB mass storage mode -OTG |
– Charging – USB mass storage mode – USB host mode – OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 2 |
| SIM type | Nano | Nano |
| SIM operating mode | – | Alternating |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 20 | 24 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
3. 5 mm audio port |
No | No |
| FM Radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speaker tests
Maximum volume
Galaxy Z Flip 4
86.3 dB
Galaxy S21 Ultra
+2%
88 dB
Other
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Release date | August 2022 | January 2021 |
| Sales start date | August 2022 | February 2021 |
| Market availability | Available | Available |
| Head SAR | 1.15 W/kg | 0.71 W/kg |
| Body SAR | 1.2 W/kg | 1.58 W/kg |
| Sensors and transducers | – Proximity sensor – Gyroscope – Accelerometer – Light sensor – Compass – Fingerprint scanner |
– Hall sensor – Barometer – Proximity sensor – Gyroscope – Accelerometer – Light sensor – Compass – Fingerprint scanner |
| Charger box | No | – |
*Please note! Package contents, NFC and other options may sometimes differ depending on the region.
Both smartphones have their advantages and disadvantages. If camera, autonomy, communications and body are more important for you – choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and if performance and games – then Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Poll
Which smartphone will you choose?
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
20 (44.4%)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
25 (55.6%)
Total votes: 45
Competitive comparisons
1.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs S21 Ultra
2.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs S21 Ultra
3.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs S21 Ultra
4.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
5.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S21 Ultra
6.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S21 Ultra
7.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
8.